China Identifies Five Priority Risk Monitoring Items for Cosmetics

On September 14, 2024, China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) released a draft of the Administrative Measures on Cosmetic Safety Risk Monitoring. ¹ Subsequently, on April 9, 2025, the NMPA issued the finalized version, titled Administrative Measures on Cosmetic Safety Risk Monitoring and Evaluation (hereinafter referred to as the “Measures”), which will take effect on August 1, 2025. ²

The Measures applies to the safety risk monitoring and evaluation of cosmetics and toothpaste. It consists of 33 articles across six chapters: general provisions, plan formulation, sampling and inspection, referral and investigation of potential issues, application and evaluation of monitoring results, as well as supplementary provisions.

The Measures aims to replace the Working Rules for Cosmetic Risk Monitoring implemented in January 2018. Compared to the previous Rules, the Measures provides more detailed and comprehensive guidelines for cosmetic risk monitoring. The key points of the Measures are as follows.

1. Clarifying responsibility division and monitoring objectives

Cosmetics risk monitoring refers to the inspection and testing activities of medical products administration (MPA) departments to monitor, analyze and effectively manage risk factors that may impact the quality and safety of cosmetics. The goal is to identify and prevent quality and safety risks, thus to provide a scientific basis for developing quality and safety control measures, conducting sampling inspections, and communicating potential safety concerns.

The Measures outlines the responsibilities of NMPA, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) and local MPAs:

• NMPA is responsible for overseeing the national management of risk monitoring and evaluation. Its duties include organizing and implementing nationwide risk monitoring and evaluation initiatives, establishing a national information system for risk monitoring and evaluation, and formulating the national monitoring and evaluation plan;

• NIFDC is tasked with providing technical support for national risk monitoring and evaluation. It is also responsible for organizing and coordinating the implementation of specific monitoring and evaluation activities at the national level;

• Provincial and local MPAs are responsible for developing localized risk monitoring and evaluation plans and carrying out related activities within their respective administrative regions.

2. Specifying key monitoring products and items

Risk monitoring and evaluation prioritizes the following factors that may impact the quality and safety of cosmetics: